Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1887-08-27
JESS.
BY H.RlDER HAGGARD,
EuthoTot 'Nns solonoEsMpes ShSEle,

God forsaken hole. only wish that some
body would give me pass, that's all ;" where
upon John shook hands with him and left,
to find an eager crowd gathered outside. y
The news of their going had got abroad,
and everybody was running down to hear the
truth of it, Such an event as a departure
out of Pretoria had not happened for souple
of months and more, and the excitement was
proportionate to its novelty.
81 say, Mel, is it true you are going"
hallooed out burly farmer.
"How the deuce did you get passr put in
another man with face like weasel. He
was what is known as a "Boer vernuker"
literally "Boer cheater'0, that is, travel
ing trader whose business it is to beguile the
simple minded Dutchman by selling him
worthless goods at five times their cost. II
have loads of friends among the Beers.
There is hardly Boer in the Transvaal who
does not know me"-c'To his COST" put in a
bystander, with a grunt)-"and yet l have
tried all l know"-("And you know a good
DEAL" said the same rude man)-"and can't
get pass"
"You don't suppose those poor Beers are
going to let you out when once they have got
you in.' went on the tormentor "Why,
man, it's against human nature. You've got
all their wool; now do you think they want
you to have their skin too!'
Whereupon the weasel faced individual
gave bowl of wrath, and pretended to mako
a rush at the author of these random gibes,
waiting half way for somebody to stop him
and prevent breach of the peace.
"Oh Miss Croft!" cried out a woman in
the crowd, who, like jess, had been trapped III
Pretoria while on a flying visit, "f you can
get line down to my husband at Maritz-
burg, to tell him that | am well, except for
the rheumatism, from sleeping on the wet
ground; and tell him to kiss the twins for
me.n
II say, Mel, tell those Beers that we will
give them id good hiding yet, when
Colley relieves u.s. sung out jolly young
Englishman in the uniform of the Pretoria
carbineers He little knew that poor Colley
kind hearted English gentleman that he
was-was sleeping peacefully under six
feet Of ground with Boer bullet through his
brain.
Now, Capt. Mel, if you are ready, we
must trek" said one of the Beers, in Dutch,
suiting the action to the word by catching
the near wheeler a sharp cut with his riding
sJdHDock tntU lneue nun jump ncariy ouJ
of the traces.
Away started the horses with plunge,
scattering the crowd to the right and left
and amid a volley of farewells they were off
upon their homeward journey.
For more than an hour nothing particular
happened. John drove on at fair pace, and
the two Beers Cantere3 along behind. At the
end of this time, however, just as they were
ba Rod a,,ly
Muller had obtained the pass from the general
on the previous day, one of the Beers rode up
and told them, roughly enough, that they
were to outspan at the house, where they
would get some food. AS it was past o'clock
they were by no means sorry TO hear this, and
accordingly John drew up the cart about
fifty yards from the place and they proceeded
to get the horses out, and having watched
them roll and drink, proceeded to the house.
The two Beers, who had also OF, saddled,
were already sitting on the veranda, and
when jess looked inquiringly toward them,
one of them pointed with his pipe toward
the little room. Taking the hint they entered,
and found a Hottentot woman just setting
some food upon the table
Here is dinner; let us eat it," said John;
goodness knows when we shall get any
more!" and, accordingly, he sat down.
As he did SO the two Beers came in, and
one Of them made some sneering remark that
made the other look at them and laugh in
sult.ngly.
John flushed up, but took no notice. In
deed, he thought it safest not, for to tell the
truth, he did not much like the appearance of
these two worthless. One of them was bip
smooth, pastv faced man, with a peculiarly
villainous expression of countenance and a
prominent tooth that projected in ghastly
isolation over his lower lip The other was a
small man, with sardonic smile and pro-
fusion of black beard and whiskers on his
face, and long hair hanging on his shoulders.
Indeed, when he smiled more vigorously than
usual, his eyebrows came down and his
whiskers advanced, and his mustache went
up till there was scarcely any face left, and
he looked more like great bearded monkey
than a man. This man was Boer of tie
widest type from the far borders of Zout-
pansberg, and did not understand word Of
English. jess nicknamed him the Wider
beeste, from his likeness to that ferocious
looking and hairy animal. The other man,